end game
by rosyredlipstick
Summary: The sky was painted a soft, blushing pink as the sun slowly rose, and the grass was coated in pleasant chilled dew. The clear air blew with leisure, and the charming morning had all the makings of being a lazy, curl up in bed with a good book, day. And Nico di Angelo was stabbing his knife through the forehead of a middle-aged woman. - Zombies. Because life, right?
1. Chapter 1

The sky was painted a soft, blushing pink as the sun slowly rose, and the grass was coated in pleasant chilled dew. If there were birds, they would be singing and whistling along with the wakening of the Earth. The clear air blew with leisure, and the charming morning had all the makings of being a lazy, curl up in bed with a good book, day.  
And Nico di Angelo was stabbing his knife through the forehead of a middle-aged woman.

The birds weren't singing because the birds had disappeared a long time ago and while Nico wasn't sure where they went, they weren't here anymore. Nico scowled and kicked the body off his blade, frowning at the clumpy blood that was left in its place.

"Nico!" He looked over his shoulder and Reyna was glaring at him. Nico cast a quick look over the field, checking for anymore possible threats, before striding over to her.

"What?" His voice was rough with the hours of sleep he'd barely managed to get.

Reyna shouldered him, "That was stupid." She hissed, "You didn't need to go after that one. You're just being risky."

Nico rolled his eyes, "It's almost like I'm making my own personal decisions."

Reyna dug her tongue into her cheek, "You need to consider that your own stupidity is going to get yourself killed."

Nico sighed, glancing around the perimeter. "I'm not going to-"

The leaves crunched behind them and they spun, arm to arm with ready weapons. Jason emerged from the trees, his hands up in mock surrender, a sheepish smile on his face.

Reyna sighed even louder then she had with Nico. "Announce yourself." She told the other boy through clenched teeth. She lowered her gun, just barely, so it wasn't pointed directly between Jason's eyes.

Jason put his arms down, and his hair was wet and dripping into his eyes. "I wanted to catch a quick bath before Percy got up." He rolled his eyes, "I swear that boy could spend hours in the river without getting tired."

"We could have shot you." Reyna told him, turning back towards the field. Nico followed her example, greeting Jason with a nod.

"Any action?" Jason questioned, shaking out his hair before coming to stand with him. He was all business now, his spine straight and his words pointed. He squinted and Nico briefly wondered where he had misplaced his glasses this time. Perhaps Leo stole them again - he was always trying to prank laughs out of them.

"Quite a few last night. Seven of them during the first shift and another five during the second." She cast a look over to Nico, "Only one during the morning shift, so far, thanks to di Angelo's recklessness." She waited until Jason looked back at her before continuing her report. "They're increasing." She talked over Jason's sigh, "That's nearly twice as more than last week, and triple the week before. They're being attracted to something."

"They're attracted to people." Jason told her, as he has been telling her for days. "There are people here. We'll set up heavier shifts and tighten up the perimeter. Hedge has been dying for more rooftop shifts, so we'll give him some more nights. I'll have Leo check the fence for any breakthroughs and have Annabeth play with the guard rotation, but that's all we can do right now." He wiped a hand over his face, "Percy and I have been over this, and this is all we can do. I've told you this."

"What about the cars?" Nico found himself asking. He was surprised at his addition. Although he was never shy around the group, especially these two, he had never bothered to contribute to whatever power-play-of-the-day they usually fought over. But Reyna was right, the bodies were increasing, and Nico was tired of killing off bodies shorter than he was. Both of their eyes flashed to him and it was Reyna who questioned him, her eyes careful and narrowed. "What about the cars?"

Nico licked his lips, "There's cars everywhere, they're basically overflowing the parking lot from the time when this was supposed to be a safe haven. So why don't we get a few and block off a few of the weaker sections of the fence?" Nico avoided the urge to look away from their double intense stare. He usually avoided talking strategy with them because he couldn't stand how heated and short they got with each other.

Reyna stared at him, and her mind was working through the logic on the idea. "How would we do it? We've already sucked most of the gas out of them already." Jason nodded as if he were thinking the same thing.

"Leo can hot wire." Jason added after considering for a moment, "And they wouldn't need much gas if they're only going a couple yards. We can push them if we need too."

"Annabeth can probably pinpoint where - " Nico cut himself off and looked over to the side of the field. The soccer field was usually pretty quiet - a few stragglers limping from the back woods every once in awhile, but they would eventually just get tangled in the goalie net before someone could take care of them. Reyna and Jason followed his example, both zeroing in on some impossible noise. They heard it again - a distant, but remarkable, scream followed by a few shouts.

They didn't need to jump into action - these days their bodies were in the hyper awoken state of near flight. Their feet stood on edge, and their muscle tensed with the active flickering of their eyes. He and Reyna took off, weapons at the ready, and Jason stalled for a second to yell over to Frank and Annabeth, who were guarding from the roof before joining Nico and Reyna. They ran into the woods, still unsure if they were fighting offense or defense, but needing whomever was making all that noise to stop immediately.

Jason wordlessly cut down a teenage girl who was coming at them, her crooked, decaying teeth snapping before Jason slid his knife through her decaying bone. They ran, only slowing down for a moment to put down every walker they came across.

The trees weren't that thick, and the woods weren't that big, so it took only a few minutes of running until they reached their target. Nico skidded to a stop, clenching his blade to his leg to keep it from bouncing all over. The area wasn't overtaken by the undead - not like the major cities were - but there sure as hell was a fuckton more than usual in this area. He began cutting down as many as he could - knees first and then the headshot - not even registering the rotting faces.

Until he came across a fresh one.

"Whoa." She dunked out of the way of his flying blade, "Watch where you're goin!" She glared at him, flicking her braids over her shoulder and rejoining the fight. Nico ignored her and let Jason take his spot, making a mental note to avoid killing any actual people.

They fought through the crowd, occasionally coming across another unfamiliar person. A pair of brothers fought well, even cutting down a rotter before it could sink its nails into Nico's shoulder. Nico nodded in thanks, approval for the pair growing as they simply smiled a bit roughly and decapitated a walker.

He wasn't surprised to see Percy and Frank joining the fray, but he was surprised at how quickly the crowd was taken care of after that. Braids was the one to cut down the last walker, a quick bash to the forehead, before they were all taken care of. She turned, breathing heavy, and seized them up. Nico joined Reyna and Frank, who stood tall and proud, and waited for Percy and Jason to saunter over.

"Who are you?" Braids spoke clear and without hitch despite her heaving chest. The brothers - their alikeness in appearance being the only conclusion - stood at her side with another frizzy haired girl. They took together with familiarity, and Nico would guess that they'd been together for awhile.

The three - Percy, Jason and Reyna - shared an uncomfortably long stare before Jason and Percy nodded, almost simultaneously.

Reyna stepped forward, "My name is Reyna, and these are my people. We heard the commotion and came to investigate. We had no idea that your group was here." She said that last part to Percy, who was last in charge of the last perimeter check. His ears reddened, but he didn't say anything.

Braids watched at them for a short moment before snorting loudly - and some of the tension began to bleed out of the air. "Good thing you came, too. I'm Piper." She rested her knuckles on her belt, "This is Travis, Connor, and Katie. We've got a few more on a run." She added this with purpose, as if to remind us they had backup.

Reyna nodded, short and curt, "What is your business in the woods? It's not the ideal location for settling camp, especially with the thick trees." Reyna gave her a look that reminded Nico of how Reyna used to be in the military. "What are your people doing here?"

Piper didn't respond right away, either collecting her thoughts or making up a lie. "We're simply trying to make it -"

A scream pierced the air, and they were all ready in an instant, as if another herd was coming straight for them.

"It's fine." The girl - Katie? - said immediately, positioning herself between the groups. "It's someone in our group."

"Were they bit?" Percy followed up, his eyes darkening.

One of the brothers rolled their eyes, "No. Do you really think we'd keep them around?"

Reyna interrupted before Percy could retaliate - probably with something sarcastic - and glanced around.

"This is too much noise. Jason, set guard with Frank around the area while Nico and I assess the situation. Percy, will you update the others?"

Percy nodded, but Piper and her group didn't budge. "We're not a situation to assess. Why should we let you anywhere near our people?"

If Reyna were the kind of person to roll her eyes, she would have. "If we leave you'll have another crowd on you within the hour. And," She spoke the next words carefully, "We may be able to help."

Piper chuckled, "While I doubt that, you're right about the walkers." Piper gave instructions to her own members before leading Nico and Reyna away. Nico discreetly drew a pocket knife, keeping it hidden in his sleeve. Pocket knives weren't much good for braining a walker, but, if needed, it would stab Braids just as fine. She led them not too far - a minute walk, tops - and stopped before a rundown RV. The tires were flat; the windows were mostly broken with dirt and grime covering every surface of the vehicle.

Piper sighed and cracked the door open slowly, as if doing so pained her, and the sounds of pain became even more louder. They climbed the few steps, the air somehow becoming hotter and more humid.

Reyna leaned in, "Is she…." The woman screamed again, this time muffled. Nico reached the last step, still mostly hidden behind Reyna.

"Yes." Piper responded, and Nico ducks around them so he can see.

"But is she…?"

"No." A new voice responds, just in time for Nico to emerge and catch a glimpse of too-blue eyes and freckled, tanned skin. "She still has a few more weeks. It's just, all the stress and activity…"

He trails off and Nico sees behind him, the cause of all the noise. A thin young woman, covered in sweat, with an impossibly swollen stomach. A girl flutters behind her, pressing a wet cloth to her forehead and whispering words into her ear. The woman cries, pressing her hands to her belly and whimpering.

"How's she?" Piper asks, coming up beside the woman and trying to press a water bottle to her lips.

"Better." The man tells her, messing with the IV that cut into her hand. His voice was unsteady with a lie and he clears his throat. "Better than an hour ago."

"Hear that, Mellie?" The girl with the washcloth whispered, "You're getting better."

"That's Will." Piper tells them as they're lead out of the RV, "He's our doctor. And that was Lou Ellen, we all try and help where we can."

Katie runs up to Piper and she becomes momentarily distracted by the other girl. Reyna turns to him and flicks her chin towards his sleeve, and Nico flicks the pocketknife back together before pocketing it. He knows the other girl enough to trust her judgment calls, and to follow them. She bends down to him, close to his ear and whispers, "What do you think of them?"

He turns so his lips are at her ear, "I think they'll do whatever they need to do to protect themselves."

Reyna pulled away, returning a single nod in acceptance. "I will go see Jason now. Please, gather the rest of their group and meet back here in 5 minutes." She said these words precisely, despite lacking the luxury of time telling. But he nodded, understanding, and did as she asked. It was only a few more minutes of quiet shuffling, interrupted only by occasional sounds of pain from the RV. Jason and Reyna returned, and she eyed you with kindness before she began to speak to Piper and her group.

"We have a setup." Reyna tells her, "And listen closely, because we will only offer once. We have food, clean water, and medicine." Her eyes flick towards the RV, and Nico knows this was intentional, to serve as a reminder of what they need, "We need people, and you seem like the good kind. If you decide to join us you must follow our rules, and our schedules. Everyone is assigned a job, and everyone is required to do that job or else we have little need of you."

The brothers stood a little behind Piper, and Nico took that as meaning Piper was the leader. Piper considered this for a moment, "What kind of jobs?"

It was Jason who answered this time, "Guarding the perimeter, working lookout, mostly security stuff. The occasional laundry or dinner shift. A few runs to town, but that's mostly volunteers."

Piper nodded but didn't show any other emotion other than understanding. "Where is it?"

"I'm afraid we can't tell you that." Reyna answered, "If you decide this offer isn't for you, you'd be a security risk." Frank nodded in agreement, tightening his hold on his gun. They didn't need to be reminded of security risks.

"I would like a few minutes to discuss this with my group." Reyna nodded, taking a few steps back. Piper pulled her members close to her, and Nico was surprised to see Will among the few crowded close to her. He hadn't gone to the RV to retrieve the other group members, thinking they'd be preoccupied. Lou Ellen was missing, and he assumed she was the one left to take care of Mellie. They only spoke for a few minutes, bickering back and forth while the tallest one of the brothers kept a close eye on them.

"We'll join you." Piper told them once they were done discussing, lifting her chin. "We'll be ready to go in about half an hour."

"What about your people on a run?" Nico spoke up for the first time, his eyes narrowing. He wasn't sure if he liked the other group yet, but he sure as hell didn't trust them so soon. He knew what desperation could do to a group of people.

Piper laughed, not unkindly. "Don't worry, they'll find us."

"How many are in your group total?" Jason asked

"Ten." One of the brothers answered, "We have three people out there."

Jason continued to converse with the brother, the other members rushing to strike down up their small temporary camp. Frank occasionally would add a comment but generally kept to himself, watching the woods around them and keeping a careful eye for any threats.

Reyna beckoned Nico over, "Will you run ahead and inform Percy of what has happened?" Her eyes flickered over to where Mellie was being lead out of the RV, whimpering. "And perhaps prepare the infirmary."

He nodded, keeping his own thoughts to himself. He took off, tearing through the woods faster than before, and he was lucky to only come across only one adult man staggering through the broken woods. When he reached their set up – an abandoned, cleared out elementary school – he wasn't shocked to see his entire group guarding the entrance, all with weapons ready and pointed. He caught Percy up on what was going on and repeated Reyna's suggestion for the pregnant woman.

"I'll prepare it." Hedge muttered, and this time he was surprised by the other man's willingness to avoid the action. The older man usually wouldn't want to miss a possible conflict. Hedge adjusted his baseball cap and dunked through the double doors, quieter than usual.

"Was that weird or was that just Leo missing something?" Leo asked, pointing to himself. "I'm pretty sure that was weird. Guy refuses to take any indoor duties for weeks and suddenly he can't wait to get inside?"

"That was kind of odd, even for Hedge." Annabeth remarked from her place on the bench. She had sprained her ankle a few days back and hadn't worked up to regular walking just yet.

They probably would have continued agreeing on the eccentric behavior of the adult, but the trees began to rustle, and the leaves began to crunch.

The new group had arrived.


	2. Chapter 2

Reyna was the first to emerge from the woods, and Nico knew this was intentional. Then it was Jason, with Frank at his side, and the rest of the group stumbled out in random bursts. The last to step out was the brothers, and they were both weighed down with heavy duffel bags of supplies. The frizzy haired girl, surprisingly strong, carried one of the tents on her shoulders while the doctor and Piper both guided Mellie around branches and rocks that laid in the grass. The last girl - the one who had been helping the doctor - rushed forward to clear the path as best as she could. The rest of Nico's group sized them up, not yet walking forward to introduce themselves.

"Which one's the leader?" Nico heard Annabeth mutter to Percy.

"The girl with the braids." Percy answered quietly, subtly edging himself in front of Annabeth. By the way she returned with a shove, he wasn't as sneaky as he thought.

Jason lead the introductions, announcing each of their names and letting Piper do the same.

"We have three more people on a run. Is this everyone in your group?" Piper finished up with asking.  
"We have one more man preparing the infirmary, we all call him coach." Percy answered, his voice even.

"Everyone calls me Leo, but you can call me whatever you want." Leo piped up, grinning and winking at Piper.

"I suggest Bolt Brain." Annabeth suggested dryly.

Piper laughed, and her laugh seemed to have a strange ability to calm down tense situations. Everyone stood a bit more loose, but Nico watched the others with suspicious eyes. Reyna stepped forward and flipped her braid over her shoulder, drawing the attention back to her.

"Annabeth, do you think you will be able to introduce them to the work schedule? And Leo," Her eyes flickered to him, "Could you please show Travis and Connor where they can place their items?"

Leo winked and licked his lips dramatically, "Anything for you, mi amor."

Reyna remained unfazed as he walked away, his hips swaying widely, and the brothers followed with laughter on their lips. Reyna turned, her eyes lingering on the doctor and Mellie, before focusing her attention on him.

"Nico, please help Will get Mellie to the infirmary. And check room thirty-two, there may be some extra mats in there." He nodded, winding his arm around the pregnant woman's shoulders in order to shift some of her weight. Will - the doctor - copied his movement and they pushed through the double doors held open by Percy and Piper. Piper gave them a lingering stare, as if she wanted to follow, but let them go after Mellie gave her a strong nod of her head.

Will asked her a few questions about her pain as they walked and, while Mellie's shuddering breaths stumbled through her words as she spoke, she was as clear as she was able to be.

"They're starting to pass." She told the doctor, leaning her head onto Nico's. "It's...not as bad."

"See?" Will grinned, "I told you they would pass. He's just gonna have to wait a few more weeks till he gets to meet his mom."

She smiled and, although it was weak, it was real.

The doctor made some short small talk while they balanced her between them, and Nico made no move to interrupt them. It wasn't until a loud crash - metal against metal - echoed across the linoleum floors when they both halted their conversation. Nico's other hand - the one that wasn't currently curled around Mellie's thin shoulder - had his gun pointed and at the ready.

"M...Mellie?"

Mellie froze in his arms, gasping so softly that only he and Will, positioned so closely to her mouth, could hear it. Nico lowered his gun slowly, and Hedge was standing a few doors away, his baseball bat spinning across the smooth tile from dropping it so suddenly. The other man stood loosely, like all of his bones had been turned to mush. He looked like he hadn't even noticed Nico's gun pointing for the headshot. Nico, realizing no threat, returned his gun to its holster before shifting Mellie's trembling body between him and the doctor.

"Mellie...you died. The TV said...your plane...it…" His voice broke and his face was pale as if she was a ghost. He made no move to come any closer, and honestly, he looked more like he was gonna take off.

Mellie shook their arms off of her, much stronger than she was moments ago. She took a wobbly step forward and Will dunked behind her in case she started to fall.

"Piper knew what was happening." She told him, big, gushing tears starting to run down her cheeks. "They - they attacked while we were on our way to the airport and she got us to safety. She's been taking care of me since. We went back to the house but you weren't..."

Hedge near sobbed, taking her into his arms, and it was the gentlest Nico had ever seen him. His hands ghosted over her pregnant belly as if he was afraid to touch her.

Nico jumped and turned away when a warm hand circled his elbow, and he was surprised to see Will's outreached hand. The other man nodded back to the doors, "Maybe we should give them some privacy." he suggested, hooking his thumb over his shoulder. Nico gave them both a lasting look, a little reluctant to dismiss his orders from Reyna, but complied.

"Mellie told me her husband was lost in the riots." Will tells him once they're standing a respectful distance behind the doors. Nico is unsure what to do, if he should inform his group or if he should make sure Mellie made it to room.

Will started walking back towards the others, and Nico was hesitant to follow.

Will eyed his lingering form, "C'mon." He hooked his thumb over his shoulder, "That guy - Mellie's husband, I'm guessing? He'll take care of her. I'll go check on her in a bit."

Nico gave the doors one last look and followed the doctor. After all, he trusted Hedge with his life, and the older man could take care of himself. And it wasn't like Mellie was going to be getting in any fights any time soon.

Reyna gave him a surprised look at being back so quickly, and she stared at Will for an even longer moment - probably even more surprised at the thought of the other man abandoning Mellie all alone in a classroom. Nico stepped forward and, bending close to her ear, quickly informed her. She blinked twice at him - the closest to being in shock that Nico had even seen her - before she smiled. The metal doors clashed open and Leo, talking loudly with the brothers, stopped to stare at her. He looked ready to make some sort of flirty joke - as he usually did - before Reyna stepped forward. She relayed the smile - and the news - onto the rest of the group.

Piper choked up, "Are you serious?" She directed this more towards Will, who nodded eagerly.

"I didn't even know Hedge was married." Annabeth mused from her place at the picnic table, papers covering every surface from assigning jobs.

"When Leo and I found him he was in the middle of a herd. He was in pretty bad shape." Jason reflected on, but there was still a happiness on his face from the recent news. "That was...weeks after it all broke out, I think. It was one of the strangest things I've ever seen. He was in tough shape, looked like he didn't even want to live, but as soon as he realized Leo was injured and we were alone he just...straightened up."

"We wouldn't have made it out if he hadn't helped us." Leo told them, his voice strangely serious. "He got us out and helped me bandage up my leg, found us shelter and food, and then...you guys came along."

A few of them nodded, others simply were lost in their own memories of being on their own.

"Mellie talked about her husband a lot." Will offered.

"We went back to look for him but…" Piper gave them a stiff grin, "We had to assume the worst." She said the words casually, but her eyes held a pain that had their own story.

Jason nodded, and Nico knew the other boy understood what she meant. "Let's give them some alone time."

"That sounds agreeable." Reyna said, her face more open then Nico had seen in awhile. "Perhaps we'll check on them once lunch is finished. Who is on cooking duty today?"

"Chef Valdez, of course!" Leo grinned, jumping up. "Who's in the mood for stir-fry?"

"This is really good." Piper groaned, shoving another bite into her mouth. "I haven't had food like this in months."

"Don't tell him that." Annabeth advised, "It only strokes his ego."

"You wanna stroke my what?" Leo yelled from the other end of the table, only earning himself a weak punch from Percy.

"Ignore him." Annabeth told her, loud enough for Leo to hear and start pouting. "He would flirt with a rock if it could winked back."

Piper laughed, and Jason looked up the sound with a smile of his own. "He and Travis will get on spectacularly."

Annabeth groaned, but before she could go on Reyna stood, her cup cradled in her extended hand. The table immediately quieted down, a bit of confusion of the side of Piper's group. Reyna waited until the table was silence before speaking.

"I'd like to make a toast." She spoke, "To our newest members. Not only have we reunited kin in the short time we've been together." Reyna casted a warm smile toward Hedge and Mellie, who were cuddled together at the end of the table, "But we've also brought together opportunity for friendship and loyalty." She raised her cup higher and clacked it against the others. Laughter and light applause sounded in response. They finished their meal in light conversation, and Nico spent most of the time watching their new members. The brothers seemed hardwired to each other motions, not even seeming to noticing how they shifted around each other. Katie, with her frizzy hair and awkward hands, seemed to be the most clumsy out of them all as she hurriedly tried to seep up the juice she'd spilled all over Piper. Piper, grinning, only reassured the other girl. Piper, from Nico's assessment, was the most guarded and dangerous of them. Twice through dinner, when the wind hit the metal roof at an angle that only caused a slight rumble, her hand was extended to the knife at her side. Her gaze shifted over each one of her people, counting them like dunklings, before she relaxed to a position without her hand cradled to her hip. Lou Ellen, who Nico had barely heard speak throughout introductions, muttered dirty jokes every few moments that had Percy and Jason in tears. Will, sitting beside her, only chuckled through the jokes as if he was used to her quiet, dark humor.

Nico met Reyna's eyes as she excused herself from meal and nodded, a silent agreement to meet with her later.

Slowly, they all began to excuse themselves. Leo first, to relieve Frank from guard duty, then Hedge with Piper, both of them guiding Mellie inside the building. The brothers followed Jason around the building as he explained the guard rotation, and Lou Ellen and Katie stood to explore more of their surrounding. Soon it was only Percy and Annabeth, along with he and the doctor. Usually, Nico would wait until the table was cleared after lunch and use the space to clean his weapons from his morning shift, and he was slightly annoyed by the time they were taking to finish their meals. Annabeth, with a slight pat on Percy's arm, stood on wobbly legs and limped towards the entrance, probably going to prepare for her shift on the roof soon. Percy went to follow her and took a long moment to brush off his pants, probably just so it didn't seem like he was fretting after her. Nico watched from the counter of his eye, as Percy paused, as if he were suddenly getting an idea. He hesitated before swinging his legs from out of the picnic table and walking over to the side where he and Will were sitting.

"You're a doctor, right?" Percy questioned, coming up beside them. He looked nervous, jumpy, like walkers were expected to attack at any moment.

"Well, I'm not pretendin for kicks." Will looked up and joked, a warm smile on his face. "What can I do for ya?" Will turned to face Percy, his eyes flickering down like he was looking for an injury.

"One of our group members, Annabeth, she uh, twisted her ankle a few days ago. I know it has to heal with time but do you think you could look at it when you get time?" Percy's eyes flicked back and forth, "We have some fish we can trade, you know, to pay you."

"Pay me?" Will looked incredulous, "That's ridiculous, of course not. Actually, I don't have to check in with Mellie for about another hour or two. Is she available right now?"

Percy gave him a surprised look, his mouth forming a perfect 'O' before nodding and grinning widely. "Yeah, she's uh, she's getting ready in the library."

"Perfect." Will grinned, jumping up and clapping his hands together. "Show the way?"

He stood, collecting his plate and utensils and placing them in the bin, and looked back to Nico. "Could you come along? I could use some assistance and I've no idea where Lou's gotten off too."

Nico glanced back to his weapons bag at his side, and at the hopeful look on Percy's face. "How long will this take?" he grumbled, frowning.

"I couldn't be for sure until I've seen it, but maybe an hour? Max?"

Nico sighed, making the sound audible enough for his frustration to bleed through. "Fine." He relented, tucking his bag under the table. He rested his hand on the gun at his side, a bit of security coming with the touch.

The visit didn't take long at all – as the doctor had predicted – but mostly because of the fact Annabeth was due for her shift. Will, with a nice smile and quick examination, had stated that she simply fell on it incorrectly and nothing was seriously damaged. He taped her up and raided their first aid kit for a bit of elastic before she was ready to go. It was a matter of minutes – and Nico was annoyed at being taken away when he wasn't even needed. Just as he was about to turn and leave, hopefully to get a few weapons zombie gunk free before Reyna was expecting him, the doctor called for him.

"Nico, right?" The doctor smiled, "I'm Will." He stated as if it wasn't already obvious. He continued speaking after a moment when he realized Nico wasn't going to respond.

"Your leader – Reyna? – she said something about mats earlier? I was thinking we could get them set up before dinner, if you don't mind."

Nico's sigh was a bit more concealed this time, "Why should I help you?" He questioned, his voice a bit more aggressive than Reyna would have approved. He tried again, "Why can't someone in your group help you?"

Will shrugged, looking unsure himself. "You don't have too. Although, I mean, I do need to be pointed in the right direction, but if you're busy I could do it on my own."

Nico thought about his very exciting plans of nothing he had waiting for him and – in a rare moment of consideration – nodded. "Follow me." He said in terms of agreement.

He led them down the short hallway, ignoring the bright colored paint that called for his attention.

"Was this a school?" Will breathed out in a question, side stepping a particularly darkened patch on the carpet.

"Yeah. Elementary school." He answered shortly, turning to face the room Reyna had reminded him of earlier. It was the storage room, from the looks of the numerous mats and wilted classroom decorations. Even though the building had been fully cleared out months ago, and there was no way a zombie could slip through their defenses only to end up in a classroom, he couldn't help his twitching hand from wrapping around his blade.

"Over here." He muttered, keeping his eyes sharp and noise to a minimum. Will, from the sound of his soft humming and the hit of his rubber soles against the concrete, had no such worries. He was turned away from Nico, instead focusing on a dusty bookshelf. Seriously, Nico couldn't help but thinking, how had this guy lasted this long in the apocalypse?

"Hey." Nico tried to get the other boy's attention, and rolled his eyes once Will looked back to him. "Let's get these out of here."

They doubled up, dragging the mats out by two, until there was a neat stack of them in the hallway.

"Ha." Will smiled, "This reminds me of that fairytale. You know, Princess and the Pea?"

Nico turned to him, blinking in confusion. "Princess and the…Pee?" Nico shook his head, "That's disgusting. That's a fairytale?"

"No, no it's-" Will laughed, just waving his hand through the air, "Never mind."

Nico only watched him for another moment, before flicking his gaze towards the stack. "Do you require anymore assistance?"

Will rubbed the back of his neck, "Uh, no. I can take it from here; maybe get Travis and Connor to help. Thanks, by the way. I would have been a sweaty disaster by the end if I'd had to do that myself." Will gave him thumbs up, grinning, before jogging off towards the double doors at the end of the hall, leaving Nico alone.

Nico sighed, looking around the empty hallway, and going to retrieve his bag.

Nico knocked on the door, waiting silently for her call. She did, and when he entered he followed his usual routine of setting down. He pulled off his fingerless gloves, then his jacket, his heavy belt, and then the removal of his weapons. Usually, he would lay them out in a neat pile, close to his side and easy within reach, but tonight he prepared them for the cleaning he missed out on earlier. He started with his pistol first, beginning with unloading the chamber and disassembling it carefully.

"New people." Nico stated after a minute of silence, "How are you feeling about them?"

Reyna glanced up, her face older than her young age should have allowed.

"The doctor, he's an asset." She began, the crumbling of paper as her only interruption as she smoothed out an old map, "And the pair of brothers, as well as Piper, are especially well fighters. That girl - Katie - says they have another exceptional fighter out on the fun."

"But Mellie - "

"Is a liability, I know." Her mouth straightened out into a thin line, "And after that baby comes, even more."

Nico listened to her quietly rant to him, knowing and trusting that she was doing just that - ranting about the group's troubles. He knew - as she knew - that they would both risk their own lives to keep the others safe, and they wouldn't ever let anything happen to Mellie or her baby. But Reyna needed to antagonise over the lack of baby formula and diapers, and shortage of necessary of medical supplies for her to feel like she had control. They were honest with each other, and they discuss the others with brutalness they had no trouble expressing about each other.

"You were stupid, this morning." Reyna frowned, "You're of no use dead, di Angelo."

"I was just taking care of it. I was careful." He worked on polishing his knife, scrubbing at a particularly stuck piece of zombie brain. "If I wouldn't have taken it down it could have gotten to the gate and make even more trouble."

"It was nowhere near the gate." Reyna reasoned, "It would have gotten distracted and turned around."

"And how do you know that for sure?" Nico snapped back, the piece of flesh finally giving way from under his rough cloth.

"And how do you know for sure that next time 'just taking care of it'" She mocked his voice, "Won't get you bitten through the shoulder, or a clawing to your face?"

Nico sighed, "Look, I'm going to go after a walker when I see one." He told her, cutting her off when she opened her month to argue. "But, next time, I'll let you know, okay?" Nico refused to look up and meet her eyes, "You'll cover me, or whatever."

Reyna sat in silence for a long moment, mulling over his words and trying to distinguish the honestly in the statement. "That sounds agreeable." She answered, "But, I need you to remember that I have the power to pull you off guarding shifts and stick you right into dishwashing."

"So don't lie?" He finished for her, taking time to carefully coat his blade in a thick layer of polish.

"So don't lie." She agreed. Her head tipped to the side, her ear exposing itself from under her thick braid, as she caught sound of Hedge's dinnertime whistle.

"C'mon." She stood, holding out her hand for him to grip onto, "You've got to let that sit for awhile, and I heard Hedge is making chili."

"Goodbye taste buds." He muttered, pleased with her low laugh.

"Like you've had any for months, after all, we all had to eat whatever Percy made last week." They both spared a shudder for that. Reyna continued, her face losing a bit of its smile with every step, and the stress from earlier was starting to cloud back into her eyes.

"Smile, mi cariñito." Leo teased as he rushed by, probably so he was out of range from whatever pain Reyna could inflict upon him.

"Want me to shot him?" Nico offered, the threat not serious, but also kind of more serious than a joke.

"Don't waste the ammunition." Reyna responded dully, although now there was a lightness in her eyes. "And honestly, he'd probably enjoy the attention."

Nico bite down his smile at that, and sat down with his group for dinner.


	3. Chapter 3

Breakfast, unlike lunch and dinner, wasn't a group affair.

It was nearly impossible to be with all of them on different schedules. When Nico woke up for his early morning shift, Percy and the night shift would just be closing their eyes.

Maybe that's why it was so surprising when he finally got up from his restless sleep, the moon still saying it's lingering goodbye, and he came across small crowd congregating around the picnic table.

His hand immediately went to his side, his stiff knuckles cracking as they tightened around the hilt of his blade. The scrape of his knife as he pulled it out, and the smooth metal shining in the moonlight, brought the few heads spinning towards him.

"Oh." he realized, lowering his weapon at the sight of less than dead bodies. Piper stood, a slight cautious smile on her face.

"A few of us couldn't sleep." She explained, gesturing towards the table. The doctor, along with the brothers and Katie, huddled over the picnic table, their eyes careful and guarded. Nico didn't return his knife, instead peering at the group with suspicion. Were they planning something? Was their kindness simply a ruse?

Nico eyed them for a long moment, mentally filing away the moment to retell in detail to Reyna once she woke up for her shift. He kept his weapon in clear view as he passed by them, staring unblinking as he walked by. He met a few of their gazes, squinting his eyes slightly to convey his distrust.

He kept going, the only fact holding him back from questioning them was knowing that Leo was waiting for his relief, and he got sloppy when he was tired. He climbed to the roof quickly, adjusting his weapons so they were tight against his body.

"Thank the gods." Leo muttered, standing and stretching from his spot. "I thought the sun was never gonna rise."

Nico didn't respond, only checking over his gun to avoid answering. Leo sighed at his lack of response and rubbed at his eyes."See you later, di Angelo. Wake me up for lunch, will ya?"

Nico only nodded this time, setting up his weapons and avoiding contact. Leo shuffled away, humming under his breath, while Nico began looking over the terrain.

It was a quiet shift, mostly just a few scattered walkers, more than usual but not so much that he couldn't handle it. He enjoyed the quiet, calmness of keeping watch. The sun grew larger in the sky, and the soft, dew on the grass frosted over. He listened to the group's soft conversation, their voices only echos from their places under him.

Frank showed up, soft bags gathering under his eyes, and dismissed Nico from his shift. Nico quickly, but neatly, packed up his weapons, and headed towards where the group was congregating for lunch.

Leo, his hair messy and rumpled, sat at the picnic table, yawning. The stew, probably from Annabeth's making, looked delicious, and the smell was even better. Percy and Jason had their heads folded together, with Reyna not far back as she looked over a map with ruthless scrutiny.

"Fresh vegetables!" Piper grinned into her bowl of soup, "Where'd you find these?"

"We gathered some seeds in the last town we stopped in." Annabeth grimaced, holding up a small, undergrown tomato. "No one's really got a green thumb around here." She sighed, "We've been putting them in the ground and watering them everyday but nothing grows past this size."

Katie, sitting quietly at the table, suddenly beamed, ecstatic at the story of their failures. "I grew up on a farm, and Grover - one of the boys on the run - used to volunteer at the community garden. We could - I mean, if you'd like, we could -"

"You know how to garden?" Leo grinned, suddenly interested, "A woman of many talents. Where have you been all my life?"

"Stop flirting." Annabeth ordered before turning a smile on the other girl. "You really think you can make something grow in that old dirt?"

Katie gave them a small shrug, her cheeks pinking at the attention. "I - I can try."

Annabeth nodded happily, sticking out her hand for the other girl to take. "Sounds decent. You're on garden duty, deal?"

Katie shook Annabeth's hand, "Deal. When can I start?"

"Eager, I like it."

"Go away Leo. " Annabeth hissed, glaring at the boy until he backed off, his arms up in full surrender. Katie brushed her frizzy curls behind her ear, her pink cheeks flushing a shade darker. Nico turned, checking out of the conversation and letting Annabeth discuss the rest of the details with the other girl.

Nico settled next to Reyna, stealing a cookie off her plate in the process, and leaned in close. "Anything new?" He muttered, taking a bite of the cookie. It was plain, and stale, but the sugar dusted on top more than made up for the fact.

Reyna glared at him for his theft but made no movement towards him. "We're tracking the walker's movements. I'm trying to figure out whatthey're being attracted too."

"Other than us, of course." Percy told them, an eyeroll in his sarcastic voice. His eyes flickered over to where Annabeth was standing, spooning stew out. "And that fire is growing pretty dim. Someone better tend to it."

Leo, always too eager to play with fire, jumped up to volunteer. Annabeth shrugged, handing off their few fire starting supplies, and went off to grab a drink.

Reyna sighed, bringing the attention back to her. "We've been here for months, Percy. And what, they're just now figuring out where we are?"

Percy rubbed his hand over his eyes, exhaustion filling the lines of his face. "Reyna, we've already risked scouting the area twice. And Frank almost got bit last time, it's not worth risking for some imaginary problem."

Reyna clenched her teeth, "I know it's something, Percy." She cut a glance towards Jason, who had remained quiet this entire time. "Jason? What do you think?"

Jason glanced over, and his eyes were full of something more than just the heavy emotion most of them carried these days. "I…" He looked between both of them, even flicking to Nico for a moment, before speaking again. "I think that maybe the stress might be getting to you, Reyna."

Nico watched Reyna, watched the tension in her body only grow stiffer, watched her hands flex and dance over the table, and when she spoke her voice was hard. "I understand what you're saying." She stood, not hesitating to meet their eyes. "This meeting is adjourned." Her eyes were careful and calculating as she left. "Valdez, walk with me."

Nico paused mid movement as he was standing to follow her. Leo jumped up, pushing the long metal rod into Nico's hands with simple orders to stay and not to let it go out. Nico frowned, tempted to ignore Leo's words and simply follow anyways.

It made sense, of course, because Reyna and Leo had been working on a new tactic to keep the walkers away, probably using fire or something of the likes. Nico had asked much, and Reyna hadn't shared. But it was logical, he could figure out, because now Percy and Jason didn't believe her and she had to figure it out by herself.

Nico tended the fire, impatiently waiting for Leo to return so he could meet with Reyna. Some time had past, the lunch shift long gone, and now even more people were surrounding the crackling fire and wooden picnic table.

He repressed a sigh at their loud voices and high laughs. The girls - most of them, at least, as Reyna was still gone, we're starting to gather together, talking loudly.

"Honestly," Annabeth confessed, cracking open a beer and passing it over to Katie. "I'm just so glad to have some more female company."

"But Reyna -?" Piper questioned with a laugh, pulling her drink close. Nico shot a glance over to her, one that no one really noticed but Piper. Piper noticed everything.

"Is like my sister." Annabeth finished for her, "But she's always so busy with Percy and Jason, and I don't want to bother her with my silly girl talk. And -" She sighed, tipping her head back, letting her blonde curls fall over her shoulder, "Sometimes I just need to complain about the lack of tampons in the post-apocalyptic world. Or rant about Percy without someone offering to decapitate him."

The girls answered by howling in laughter, both gripping at their bottles and kicking their legs up to rest on the cooler. Nico pulled his arms closer to himself, making himself smaller.

Annabeth look a long drink of her beer, "I was drowning in testosterone." She reflected on mournfully. "Leo was the only one who would paint his nails with me and he got annoyingly chatty after five minutes."

"We have girls nights once a month." Lou Ellen reassured her, patting her on her knee.

"Thank the gods. " Annabeth shook her head. "How are you three adjusting here, anyways?"

"I forgot how in love I was with sleeping indoors." Piper joked, "No mosquitoes biting at your every movement? It's like paradise ."

The girls giggled in agreement, and it was like one of those goddamn chick flicks Bianca loved.

But moments like that never lasted, and it was over and gone in almost the span of a second.

"Walkers!" Frank's voice yelled from the roof, "East, by the left entrance!"

They all jumped up, and Nico clenched the iron rod even tighter. The earlier light mood was suddenly mist, disappearing under the adrenaline flowing through each one of them. Nico could see the crowd of them - rotting flesh and dead eyes - and only clenched his weapon tighter. He quickly handed off the iron rod to Lou, the closest one to him without a weapon at her side, and drew the machete strapped at his leg. He could hear Frank yelling warnings, probably trying to inform the others.

Piper, a little ahead of him, was the first to reach the crowd, and Annabeth was almost immediately at her back. Nico, his blade balanced in his capable hands, swiped and cut with ruthless efficiency. There were probably fifteen or so of them, not enough to overwhelm them, but definitely more in a crowd than they were used to. He cut at the legs of another walker - younger, a teenager, maybe - and stabbed his knife through the eye socket. The body went limp, their arms dropping from where they were reaching out towards him, but his knife was stuck as he tried to pull back. He tried again, cursing out loud, but wasted no time in reaching for the smaller blade at his waist.

A body tackled him then, throwing him to the ground suddenly. He forced his head back, his neck only inches away from snapping teeth and jagged, decaying nails. He struggled to push it off, his arms pinned behind his back and his other shoulder taking most of the dead weight.

He focused mainly on keeping his visible skin - his bare hands, the soft pale skin of his neck - away from the walker's diseased body.

He cursed loudly, almost calling for help, as the body got a hold of his shoulder, pushing itself up. Nico started at it's horrible face - the deep wrinkled face, the ugly red sores, an open hole that might have been a piercing but looked more like a wound - and he thrusted about under it, his desperation only growing. He wanted to look around, catch any form of help, but he knew only too well that the persistent soundtrack of battle translated to no help coming soon.

He was near the point of just letting go, squeezing his eyes shut, and thinking about his sister's face, praying for it to be quick. But the biggest surprise, only moments later, was when a knife cut through, suddenly inches from his face, and he screwed up his face just in time for the deadly chucks of walker to drip on his face.

A hand, he couldn't exactly open up and see who yet, grabbed onto his free shoulder, and the grip was tight and warm and human. The heavy body was pushed off him and he was dragged up and away a few steps, his legs weak under the sudden relief.

"I'm going to wipe your face off now." A man's voice - familiar, but not incredibly known, told him. A cloth, rough but seemingly clean, met his filthy skin. Nico was unbearably grateful for the action, as well as the warning. He stood still, not risking opening his mouth to speak or his eyes to see, and waited until the other man was done.

"There." The man said, and after only a moment of consideration, peeked open his eyes experimentally.

It was the doctor, blond and impossibly tanned, it was Will standing before him, a blacked cloth in one hand, a bloodied knife in the other.

"Thanks." Nico breathed out, the situation finally catching up with him. "That...that could have been bad."

"And messy." Will agreed, flicking the bloody chunks off his knife. He didn't meet Nico's heavy gaze, looking as if he had completely dismissed it, and Nico was even more grateful to the boy.

Nico could easily see behind him now, and was glad to see most of the walkers littered across the ground. The others had arrived, Percy and one of the brothers - Connor, maybe? - and apparently, Will.

Annabeth cut down the last one, her short blade impractical but deadly in her hands. She kicked the walker - a boy, no older than thirteen - off her weapon. She heaved for breath, her hands clenched at her knees. Her knife, almost stained black with the dark, rotting blood, was clenched in one of her hands. Blood covered her arms and torso, with bits splattering on her face. Her hair was a tangled mess, and some of her golden curled were dyed dark with sweat and drips of her own blood. She spat onto the ground and grinned up at them. She looked hardened, she looked like she would last.

Percy sighed from behind Nico. "She's amazing."

Nico resisted the urge to roll his eyes, but it was Will who spoke.

"Whatever gets you going, man." He told Percy cheerfully, clapping his hands together. "Alrighty, that's over. Who's up for lemonade and check ups?"

Nico sighed, almost not-really wishing that zombie had gotten to him, but followed the group out.


	4. Chapter 4

Only a week had past since the walker incident, and it was minor enough to only bring a sharpness to their eyes, a quickness to their hands, for a few days afterwards.

This was where Nico found himself when Will approached him, and later met with him and Reyna.

Nico, standing at Reyna's side, stared down unblinking at Will's nervous figure.

"We need more medical supplies." He restated, his hand fidgeting against his jacket buckles. "Mellie will be delivering very soon, and we hardly have any supplies for the baby either." His eyes flickered away, and his adam's apple bounced against his throat. "The others - the ones we told you about - haven't been heard from since, and it's been almost two weeks now."

Reyna's eyes were still and calculating. "And what if Mellie were to go into labor while you were gone? What happens then?"

Will nodded like he already knew the answer. "I've trained Lou into being my assistant. And I've already gone over many times what she's to do, and she knows the entire procedure by heart."

Reyna didn't respond, only leaning back onto the wooden picnic table like it was her throne.

"You don't believe your other people will be returning." She stated, her voice even.

His head dropped, his chin almost tucking into his neck. "No." He finally answered. "Clarisse is one of the best fighters I've ever met. She wouldn't be taking her time with a run for supplies like this unless something had gone wrong."

"And none of you will be going after them?" Nico spoke up, his side almost pressed against the hard, rigid line of Reyna's back. His voice was curious, but rough from being seldomly used.

Will shook his head, his head still ducked down. "No. We understand what we're going into when we volunteer for these runs. Anyone going after us would just be a waste of life."

Reyna's eyes flickered away, and Nico knew that to be one of her tells.

"If approved, who would you be taking?" She asked, her eyes meeting Nico's.

Nico gave her the smallest dip of his chin, and Will glanced up to continue talking.

"Myself, to identify what exactly we would need. Piper has already volunteered, and she's handy with a map. Connor and Travis, probably, and they could serve as protection and look out when we're searching up buildings. And, if alright with you, we would like to open up volunteers for your people as well." He finished, nearly out of breath from the onset of words spilling out of him. With only a breath of silence in, he continued on. "Not that - not that we're expecting anyone to come along! I mean, just in case anyone wants to come along, maybe get some stuff for themselves."

Reyna observed him, her face emotionless as she listened to Will babble on, then abruptly cut himself off.

"Don't refer to them as 'your people'." She instructed, "We are all the same. You are all my people now. And -" She cast another meaningful look towards Nico, making it clear who had helped decide this. "You can go. Collect who you need and I'll make an announcement for volunteers at dinner, where the rest of the details can we worked out." She lifted her chin. You are dismissed." She told him, her voice kind, but final.

Will nodded, looking grateful, and rushed out of the room quickly.

Reyna eyed him, flipping her braid over her shoulder before staring him down. "You're supporting this trip?"

Nico shrugged, "We need the supplies. There's no getting around that."

Reyna sighed through her nose, a frustrated move of hers, but didn't argue against that fact. "Okay. Let's go then."

Dinner - a simple salad made by Katie from the greens in their garden - was winding down much like their other ones. Percy and Jason were loudly crackling jokes, Annabeth and Piper were engaged in a conversation that sounds slightly terrifying, and the pair of brothers were entertaining Katie and Frank while Will and Lou bent close together, probably discussing Mellie's pregnancy routine.

Nico glanced around, knowing that Leo had taken the dinner shift and Mellie and Hedge had taken their meal in their room, and briefly wondering why the table - already filled to capacity - felt so empty. His thought, not very troubling but slightly worrying no less - was broken off by Reyna standing from the table, quiet and waiting for the others to do the same.

"There will be a run into town leaving tomorrow." She announced, her voice regal. "It is entirely volunteers, and the purpose is to obtain vital medical supplies, as well as baby supplies, for Mellie and the child. Food, of course, would be a bonus, but we're not so low as to be desperate yet." She paused for a moment, either for dramatic purposes or together her thoughts, Nico could never tell. "The group will be traveling down route 47 towards a small town where Piper - " She gestured to the girl as she spoke, "seems to remember seeing a pharmacy, as well as a few smaller stores that could be stocked with infant care supplies."

"How do we know it hasn't been picked over already?" Frank spoke up, directing his question towards Reyna.

Reyna dipped her head, "We do not. However, because this town is hidden on the back roads, there's more hope then if it was a major town."

Piper spoke up, "I'll be leading the run." She stood, gesturing to Will. Reyna took that as her queue to sit, and she did quietly. "Will is joining me, and Connor and Travis. We'll be welcoming any other volunteers as well."

There was a moment of quiet, Percy shifting in his seat, slightly closer to Annabeth, and Jason was the one that finally spoke up.

"I volunteer." He grinned, "I could always go for an adventure."

Piper gave him a million-dollar smile, and Nico had to keep his eyes from obviously flickering over to where Reyna was seated.

The rest of dinner went smoothly, and Nico was the only one to notice the slight coldness from the side Reyna was seated at, and her lack of conversation for the rest of dinner. He cleaned up quickly, waiting a few minutes after Reyna left to follow her.

She was waiting for him, because they always knew each other like that. Reyna was sitting on the floor, her gun dismantled in front of her, and her body was stiff and hard.

Nico settled across from her, taking the pieces of her gun and helping her clean them easily.

"You convinced me to allow the run for medical supplies." Her eyes flickered to his, "Piper's leading and the doctor is going along to identify everything. The brothers are going and now...Jason." Her mouth smoothed out into a thin line, and there was a barely audible sigh that echoed through her nose. "As it would be futile to have three leaders out on a simple supplies run -"

"You want me to volunteer." He stated, keeping his face still and emotionless, something he learned from her. "You want me to watch out for Jason."

"I don't completely trust their skills." Her voice was quiet, but strong. "I don't want him going out there without backup. I...I just would rest easy if I knew someone was watching after him."

"Jason and Piper have gotten quite close. Jason...he likes her." Nico stated as a reminder. She knew what she was asking of him. Nico didn't go on runs.

"I am aware." Her voice was steel. "Will you go?"

Nico was quiet for a long moment. She knew what she was asking of him. And he knew she only asked because she felt she had no choice. He thought of the barely hidden desperation in her voice, and the loose laugh that only Jason seemed to be able to coax out of her.

He threw back his shoulders, taking a deep breath. "When are we leaving?"

She didn't thank him, or sag in relief, or anything of the likes. But then stiff tension that ached in her bones bleed out just the littlest, and her shoulders dropped a fraction. "After breakfast tomorrow. It is estimated that the journey will only take three days."

"I'll go pack." He told her

"That would be wise." She met his eyes, and she's always been good with passing him nonverbal messages, as this one clearly stated Do what you have to do.

"When we first accepted these people into our group you told me something." Reyna interrupted as Nico began to walk off towards his room, "You said they would do anything to protect themselves."

Nico didn't turn, but he stopped and turned his head to show he was listening.

"I wouldn't have accepted them if I thought we didn't have that in common."

* * *

"I'm coming with you." Nico stated to the other boy, standing a few feet behind Will in the infirmary.

Will didn't jump in surprise, which Nico had to admire, but he turned slowly with an unreadable look on his face.

"You are?" He asked, rolling up a line of gauze.

Nico nodded, not really in the mood for any small talk, and eyed the supplies Will was packing up. "You taking all that?" He asked, pushing his hands in his pockets.

Will looked down at the supplies laid out in front of him. "It's mostly essentials, nothing you wouldn't find in a well-stocked first aid kit."

Nico nodded, not really caring, and turned to leave before Will's voice stopped him.

"Hey, uh -" Nico turned back on his heel, and Will continued. "We're leaving tomorrow morning, uh, just so you know. I'll let Piper know."

Nico nodded slowly, wondering if that was all, "Okay." He simply said, waiting another second in case the other boy had anything else to say.

He didn't, so Nico left quickly and headed back to his own room.

He packed his bag, a few pairs of clothes and his emergency supplies, a bottle of water and a few granola bars. His singular sentimental possession, a wrinkled, water damaged photo, was folded very carefully at the bottom of his bag.

He was restless that night, but that had nothing to do with his current situation, as he was restless nearly every night. He was the first one up, as he usually was, and relieved Annabeth from her morning shift.

He enjoyed security shifts, honestly. It gave him a purpose - keep the people he loved or, at least, tolerated, safe even if it was only for a few hours. The quiet was nice, of course, but it only lasted for a short while until the others got up for breakfast and other morning shifts. He watched their heads go back and fourth, and the heavy scent of cooking meat and the light fragrance of sweet fruit rose up to him. He ignored his growling stomach, watching the gates intensely instead.

His shift was cut off early, as Reyna dragged her boots across the ground and knocked him softly on the back, careful not to sneak up on him. He appreciated that, he did.

"The group is preparing to leave." She told him, not looking at him or his full backpack at his side.

Nico stood, collecting his things, assuming she was taking the rest of his shift.

"Be safe, Nico. And...take care of him. And yourself." She finally cut her eyes towards him, and her gaze was like knives. "But don't be stupid. I won't cry over you if you die like an idiot."

Nico resisted the urge to pull her into a hug, knowing that her strong arms and long braid would be only too familiar to his touch. "You too." He told her, his voice quiet. "Keep them safe but...keep yourself safe too."

She reached down and squeezed at his hand. She had a small smile, but her nerves were concealed deeply inside of her. "Who will I talk too?" She asked, and her voice was raw and soft.

Reyna was their leader, and she would die for any single one of them, but she was hard and rough and jagged in all the wrong places. She said the wrong things, and sometimes people didn't take her dark humor as it was suppose to be taken, and she had to be tough and mean when none of them wanted to be. She was his leader, would always be his leader, but she was also his best friend. Because dark and rough and mean was how Nico was often taken too, and his jagged pieces fit into her sharp ones like a puzzle piece, and not many people understood that.

He jostled their shoulders together, and wondered the same question about himself. "Talk to Leo." He teased. "He may faint if you spare him a kind word."

Reyna smirked, but it wasn't mean. More like she was trying to keep a laugh in. Her joy faded, just a bit, and she let go of his hand. "Don't leave me with Valdez for company." She told him, her voice an ordering command. "Now go. I hear the doctor was looking for you."

Nico nodded, wishing he could squeeze her hand one last time, and did as she told.

When Nico finally did find the other boy, still lingering around the eating area, instead of the dismissive we're leaving now that Nico had expected, Will gave him only a small frown instead.

Will pushed a bowl into Nico's hands, granola and strawberries, and his face was unreadable. "Eat." The other boy ordered, "You're not missing a meal right before we leave for a run. I'm not dealing with a Mr. Low Blood Sugar anytime this trip, so I hope you get in the habit or actually eating."

Nico took the bowl mostly out of surprise, and was about to argue about how yeah, um, he does eat, just usually not a lot, but was cut off by the simple fact of Will not caring enough to hear him protest. Will turned away, looking as if he has already forgotten the exchange.

Nico glanced down at the bowl, and well, it did look pretty good, and he'd hardly eaten yesterday, so it wasn't very hard to convince himself to follow that particular suggestion.

It wasn't long though, that Nico found himself meeting in a half circle of the other volunteers. Travis and Connor - nearly indecipherable to Nico's observations - were weighted down with the most weapons, They wouldn't be much in flight situations, but lifesavers in fight situations, and Nico made a note of that. Piper was examining a wrinkled map with ruthless scrutiny, trailing her fingernail over a red marker line that cut a path through the forest. Jason, grinning, was probably just happy to be there, and he shot an excited grin over to Nico, who definitely did not return anything of the likes. Nico stood close to Jason, knowing and following his orders from Reyna, and trusting that the other boy would have his back come any threats.

Will, late and the last one to join them, had only a heavy backpack hanging from his shoulders - strong and thick - that was probably filled with the kit he had made up yesterday. Piper, apparently waiting for him to arrive, quickly folded up the paper and stuck it in her back pocket carefully.

"Alright." She grinned, adjusting her backpack, and Nico could nearly hear Jason's lovesick sigh from here, "Let's go."

And, trailing after the blond boy who Nico had promised to look after, they left.


End file.
